Sunday, May 31, 2009

Not the best week in recent memory for touring bands, but there are plenty of great local bands playing this week. Check out The Minor Canon, The Parson Red Heads, Warpaint, The Monolators, Fol Chen, Signal Hill, Spider Problem and Pocahaunted to name just a few....Monday 6/1/09[Pick of the Night] Pontiak / Magic Lantern / Pocahaunted / Dog @ The Blue Monkey (Free) [5521 Hollywood Blvd] - Hailing from the Virginia, Pontiak play heavy rock that sorta splits the difference between psych and stoner rock. Good stuff.[Recommended] Castledoor / Butterfly Boucher / The Monolators / Cale Parks @ Spaceland (Free) - The first night of Castledoor's Monday night residency features an eclectic lineup of support. The Monolators are a veteran local band. Butterfly Boucher's a female, Hotel Cafe type of singer-songwriter. Cale Parks is the drummer from Aloha (who put out one of my favorite albums of 2006).[Recommended] Big Business / Tweak Bird @ Troubadour ($12) - Heavy rock.[Recommended] Oliver Future / Useless Keys / Superhumanoids @ The Echo (Free) - Oliver Future is getting it back together after losing several members to Ben Harper. They've got the Monday night residency at the Echo this month.Bachelorette / Pikelet / In Retrograde @ The Smell ($5) - Bachelorette are all the way from New Zealand. Released on Drag City in the US of A.T.D. Lind / Mia Maestro and Aaron Robinson / Willoughby @ Silverlake Lounge (Free)Larchmont Charter West Fundraiser @ Hotel CafeJake Labotz @ Redwood Bar

Tuesday 6/2/09[Pick of the Night] The Minor Canon / Sing Orpheus / Matt Dwyer / Dntel (DJ set) @ Spaceland ($5) - This is the record release party / birthday party for Paul Larson of The Minor Canon. The new record, Emptiness Is Form, is the follow-up to one of my favorite records of 2007, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Emptiness Is Form, along with the new Sonic Youth, have been my soundtrack for the past couple of weeks. It's a pretty fantastic follow-up, featuring 11 more painfully, brokenhearted love songs with Larson on guitar and lots of horns and strings. More on all that later....[Recommended] The Movies / Seasons / Manhattan Murder Mystery @ Bordello ($3) - Will this be the last show for the Movies?Olin & the Moon / Eagle and Talon / Leslie & the Badgers / Deep Sea Diver @ The EchoBlackened Fest: Mayhem / Marduk / Cephalic Carnage / Cattle Decapitation / Withered @ House of Blues ($28) - Black metal.Mike Stinson @ Redwood Bar - Local country troubadour.The Capshuns / Robotanists / Vanaprasta / Black Kites @ Silverlake LoungeMagnolia Memoir @ LargoRaining Jane @ Hotel CafeCro-Mags @ The Key Club ($16)

Monday, May 25, 2009

Really sad news came out today - Jay Bennett passed away yesterday in his sleep. I'm a big fan and have always felt like he got a raw deal the way he was portrayed in the Wilco documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.

I thought about Bennett a lot last week while finally watching the latest Wilco DVD, Ashes of American Flags. No offense to the current lineup, but for my money, Bennett's tenure in the band was their creative peak (to date anyway). The first time I heard Summerteeth I was blown away and barely recognized it as the same band that had made AM and Being There. Perhaps not coincidentally, it was the first time Bennett contributed substantially to the songwriting. If you saw Wilco back in those days, you know they were a great live rock 'n' roll band too.

Bennett was also a major contributor to my second favorite Wilco record, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Tensions began to flare up during the mixing phase when Tweedy brought in Jim O'Rourke. Bennett was fired shortly thereafter.

Bennett recently posted a really sad Myspace post about his need for hip replacement surgery and his lack of insurance. Probably not coincidentally, he recently filed a lawsuit against Wilco for unpaid royalties. Sad shit.

I haven't heard most of Bennett's post-Wilco material, but one track I love is "California Breezes" which was written by Bennett, but recorded by David Vandervelde:

Book Signing: Memphis & the Mississippi Delta - A Complete Guide @ Stories in Echo Park- This is a book signing for Justin & Melissa Gage - Justin's the guy behind Aquarium Drunkard; Le Switch will also be playing

[Pick of the Week] Jens Lekman / Tig Notaro @ the Echo ($15) - I've got some tickets to give away for night two. Check back in later this week.

[Recommended] The Wooden Birds / The New Trust @ Spaceland ($12) - The Wooden Birds is the new band from the leader of American Analog Set. I haven't heard them yet, but I was a huge AAS fan.

[Recommended] Lucinda Williams @ House of Blues Anaheim ($40) - I'm not driving to the OC for this, but I am a big fan.

[Recommended] Fleetwood Mac @ Staples Center ($50 - $150) - Great band who I've never seen. If anybody has a free ticket.......

[Pick of the Night] Le Switch / Les Blanks / Go West Young Man @ Dakota Lounge ($5) - A couple of my favorite local bands take it to Santa Monica for the night. The Dakota Lounge is at 1026 Wilshire Blvd. I haven't been there, so I have no idea about the acoustics.

[Recommended] Kidrockers: Langhorne Slim / One Trick Pony @ The Echo ($12) - Hosted by Matt Dwyer; you need to bring a kid to get into this. If you have a kid, it's a good time.

This is my weekly reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio on LittleRadio.com from Noon to 2:00 PM.

Each week the hosts play an official You Set the Scene pick. My pick for today's show is Harry Nilsson's "Cuddly Toy." Since Todd plays Nilsson all the time, it probably won't be a popular pick with Sylvia.

The track comes from Nilsson's RCA Records debut, Pandemonium Shadow Scene. It's one of my favorite Nilsson records, showcasing his humor in songwriting, and features an homage to the Beatles and Phil Spector. At only 31 minutes, the record flys by.

Pandemonium Shadow Scene didn't fare too well commercially, but did get the attention of the Beatles and the Monkees. Nilsson was introduced to the Monkees and did an impromptu performance of "Cuddly Toy." The Monkees dug it, and covered it on their Billboard #1, two million selling album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. It's got some pretty twisted lyrics.

Nilsson's a fascinating character. If you ever get a chance to see the documentary, Who Is Harry Nilsson (and Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him), check it out. Unfortunately it's never gotten a DVD release.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I've got a few pair of tickets to give away for the The Dears show this Saturday at the Echoplex. Opening the show will be two local bands, Great Northern and Eulogies. All three bands are signed to LA based labels (The Dears and Eulogies are on Dangerbird, while Great Northern is on Eenie Meenie). The show is presented by Under the Radar, who have a nice, re-designed website (at least since the last time I checked it out).

Speaking of Dangerbird, they just signed a band from Cincinnati called Bad Veins.

To win these tickets to the Dears, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your favorite NBA basketball team. If you hate the NBA, that's cool too. The contest closes Friday at Noon.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I've got a few pairs of tickets to give away for the Ghost show this Thursday at Spaceland. Opening the show will be Glasser and Lichens. Local artist, Glasser has been the recipient of some glowing praise from the likes of Gorilla vs. Bear (MP3s in this post). Head over to Buzz Bands for a video (in this post).

To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your favorite type of Japanese food. Please put "Ghost" in the subject line and include your first and last name in the body of the email. The contest closes Thursday at Noon.

WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED - IF YOU DIDN'T WIN, YOU CAN STILL BUY TICKETS HERE....

I've got a few pairs of tickets to give away for M83 at the Glass House in Pomona this Wednesday (May 20th). Opening the show will be James Yuill. This is going to be your last chance to see the Saturdays = Youth (#28 on Village Voice's Pazz + Jop poll of best albums of 2008) tour.

To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your favorite Frenchman. My vote is for Francois Truffaut. The contest closes Monday at midnight. Please put "M83" in the subject line.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Here’s my weekly reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio on Little Radio today from Noon to 2:00 PM PST.

Each week the show features an official You Set the Scene pick. My pick for today’s show is Donny Hathaway’s “Jealous Guy.” The John Lennon cover comes from Hathaway’s 1972 Live album. At this point, everybody from Elliott Smith to Jeff Tweedy to the Deftones to Collective Soul to the Black Crowes to the Faces to Roxy Music to Jose Feliciano has covered the track, but it must have been a pretty radical choice for a black soul singer like Hathaway do it so soon after Lennon released it.

The Live record chronicles Hathaway’s shows at the Troubadour in West Hollywood and the Bitter End in New York. It’s one of those extremely rare live records (I feel the same way about the Descendents) that’s actually better than the artist’s studio recordings. In this case, Hathaway’s soulfulness pours through the speakers and the crowd’s intense response makes you so jealous of the people that were there. Man, that voice will give you the chills.

In a just world, Hathaway would be a household name like Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye. He’s not. After a long struggle with depression, Hathaway committed suicide in 1979 by jumping out of a 15th story window. Luckily for us, he left behind a great legacy of music. Original vinyl copies of this record are pretty tough to come by, but last time I was at Amoeba, I noticed that it’s been reissued. I highly recommend you pick it up. It's the type of thing that will probably go in and out of print for a long time.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Let me start this quasi-review by saying that I think James Mercer is one of the best lyricists working right now. However, as a live band, the Shins have always disappointed me.

Here it is only Wednesday and seeing their show on Sunday is already a faint memory, but let me try….

A friend I hadn’t seen in a while offered up a last minute ticket to the show. Since I hadn’t been to the new Palladium and I was curious about the new lineup, I figured what the hell.

The first thing worth mentioning is the physical tickets. They were enormous; I’m talking the size of a regular envelope. You couldn’t fold them on the seam and fit them in your wallet. I shoved mine in my back pocket and it stuck out a good five inches. It was a complete waste of paper.

Once inside, I headed to the bar and bought two small beers for $16. Pretty steep when you’re used to the $3.50 ($2.50 on Mondays) High Life at Spaceland. They’ve got to pay the bands somehow, right? I guess the $43 ticket price (plus $7 service charge) just isn’t enough. The venue sitting dark most nights probably doesn’t help keep the costs down either.

Our gigantic tickets said “GA – Floor” so we walked towards the floor. A security guard stopped us and said that we needed wristbands to get on the floor. After a brief dialogue we learned that they’re distributed on a first-come, first-served basis (although I’m still not exactly sure where). Bummer. We decided to check it out from the balcony.

The balcony was already pretty packed, so we went way to the side. We were so far to the side that we were standing behind the band. Once the Shins started, it didn’t take long to realize that the sound sucked from that angle. We moved more central to see if it would get any better. It didn’t. It got louder, but I couldn’t understand a word of Mercer’s lyrics. I could understand about 75% of the (limited) between song banter.

As Pitchfork reported, keyboard player Marty Crandall (the one guy with a personality in the band) and drummer Jesse Sandoval are no longer a part of the band. According to Mercer, their departure was “an aesthetic decision.” I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that, but I was curious to find out.

Turns out that “aesthetic decision” must have a little something to do with playing Beach Boys and Neil Young covers and a lot to do with stretching out and jamming on (previously) near-perfect two-and-a-half to three minute pop songs. The decision to cover “Helpless” was a little predictable since I’d watched Mercer jump up on the Echo’s stage last February to perform the song with the Fruit Bats. The band broke out a few new songs too. I don’t remember any specifics, but I do remember really liking one new song, being really bored by one of them and thinking one of them was OK.

It takes a lot of audacity to expect 4,000 of your fans to pay $50 to see you try out a new lineup when your new album isn’t coming out for another eight months. Are the Shins really at that level? Their fans (at least this one) would have walked away with a more favorable impression had it been a cheaper ticket (and I didn’t even pay for my ticket) at a smaller venue.

Two more notes about the “new” Palladium. We moved over and stood in front of the soundboard to see if the sound was any better over there. It wasn’t. I tried to buy a beer at 10:00 PM and the bar was already closed.

Monday, May 11, 2009

I've got a few pairs of tickets to give away for the Extra Golden / Meditations show this Wednesday at the Echo/Echoplex. To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your favorite African or Jamaican artist. The contest closes Wedesday at Noon. Please put "Extra Golden" in the subject line and include your first and last name in the body of the email.

Friday 5/15/09[Pick of the Night] Lucero / Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears @ Troubadour ($17) – I saw both of these bands at SXSW this year. Black Joe Lewis is one of my favorite new bands of the year. Great Stax-inspired dirty soul.[Recommended] Amateurs / The World Record / Death to Anders / Never At Night @ Spaceland ($8) – This is the record release party for Amateurs new three song 12”. It’s good stuff (you can stream it on their Myspace page) and good karma to support local bands that go the expense/trouble of releasing on vinyl.Ponytail / Cex @ The Echo ($10) – I saw Ponytail at SXSW this year. High energy, not really my thing, but they got the crowd going.Jon Brion @ Largo ($25)The Lovetones / Magic Mirror @ Redwood BarThe Dan Band @ AvalonThe Aggrolites / The Lions / Boogaloo Assistants @ El Rey ($20)Land of Ill Earthquakes / The Health Club / Sofa City Sweetheart @ PehrspaceHalloween Swim Team / Dylan Doren / Paper Rainbow @ L’Keg

Thursday, May 07, 2009

This is my reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio tomorrow from Noon to 2:00 PM on LittleRadio.com.

Each week, the hosts play an official You Set the Scene Pick. This week, the choice was tough. A lot of great stuff got sent my way (and I purchased some great reissues last weekend). I considered the new Jarvis Cocker, the new Akron/Family and the new Steve Earle (a tribute to Townes Van Zandt). Ultimately, I decided on Tortoise's "Northern Something."

I always forget how much I love Tortoise until I put on one of their records. I might be thinking, "Nah, I'm not really in the mood for instrumental stuff today" but then they immediately draw me in. Like a lot of college radio fanatics in the Midwest, I first got in to Tortoise back in 1996 with the release of their second record, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. At the time, Chicago seemed like the center of the music world.

The band's sixth album, Beacons of Ancestorship, comes out June 23rd on Thrill Jockey. It's another fantastic listen. The sounds are so varied and across the map it's pretty pointless to list them (jazz, Krautrock, dub, indie rock, ambient, downtempo, electronica). It's not until the very end of the record that it sounds anything like early Tortoise. These five musicians are just insanely talented chameleons. Wouldn't it be great to see what they could do with a commercial hip-hop artist? Kanye sans auto-tune?

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

I've got a couple of pairs of tickets to give away for the Destroyer show this Sunday at the Echoplex. Opening the show will be Azita and Devon Williams. Dan Bejar's one of the more unique songwriters of our generation. His most recent record, Trouble in Dreams, came out a year ago on Merge Records.

To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at g mail] with the name of something/someone you wish you could destroy. The contest closes Friday at 3:00 PM. Please add "Destroyer" to the subject line.

Monday, May 04, 2009

The last week of the Henry Clay People's residency was a good time last Monday. They got the whole crowd down on their hands and knees. I'd only seen one other band do that (Soundtrack of Our Lives at the Troubadour a few years ago). This week looks solid (if you can get tickets to these shows)....

Monday 5/4/09[Pick of the Night] Gangi / Head Like a Kite / Blank Blue / Daddy Kev @ Spaceland (Free) – Very strong lineup for the first night of the Gangi residency. Head Like a Kite’s a Mush records band from Seattle that mixes live instrumentation with liberal use of electronic elements. Last time I saw Blank Blue at Spaceland (during Le Switch’s residency) the power blew out. They’re a strong local band featuring Nobody and Niki Randa. Daddy Kev’s one of LA’s more respected underground hip-hop producers.[Recommended] Juliette Commagere / Obi Best / The Sweet Hurt @ The Echo (Free) – Good, free chance to see Wendy Wang/The Sweet Hurt. The Weekly has a feature on Juliette Commagere this week.Golden Animals / My Pet Saddle / Slipping Into Darkness @ Silverlake Lounge (Free) – Golden Animals has the Silverlake Lounge residency. I may try to check them out next week when Imaad Wasif is on the bill.The Monolators / Halloween Swim Team / Gumshoe / Roman Candles @ Echo CurioWhitman / Nicole Kidman / Stellaluna @ PehrspaceThe Jake Labotz Band @ Redwood Bar